The Martin Strange Effect: Turning Ideas into Action

This episode dives into the mental barriers that keep us from achieving our business goals. We tackle imposter syndrome and the power of taking action instead of waiting for the perfect moment.

• Discussing the challenge of overcoming self-doubt 
• Exploring the concept of the Martin Strange Effect 
• Personal anecdotes highlighting the importance of taking action 

Your thoughts matter! Let us know how you overcome self-doubt and what actions you take towards your entrepreneurial goals. 

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Chapters

• 0:00 Welcome and Introduction
• 18:42 Overcoming Imposter Syndrome and Taking Action
• 39:12 The Martin Strange Effect: A Personal Story

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:12

Hey everyone, it's Victoria here, and welcome back to another episode of my Entrepreneur Diary. So this is the second ep of 2025 and today we are diving right into a topic that holds so many of us back and it's getting out of your own way. We're going to be talking about overcoming imposter syndrome, taking action on that business idea that you're probably currently sitting on and finally putting it into the world. You know, let's be honest, we've all been there. I definitely have. You have this great idea, but instead of moving forward, you keep overthinking, you doubt yourself or you're just waiting for the right time and, let's be honest, there's never a right time not really. And the truth is, if it stays in your head, without a plan or a strategy, it remains just that, a pipe dream. It sits there, going stagnant while you stay in the same place. You're not going to be going anywhere. If you are sitting on your ideas, you need to get up and get them out there. What's the worst thing that can happen? They don't work. What is the worst thing? That if you're putting an idea to someone that they can say no and then you move on with the next thing, or if you really believe in your idea. You just pursue it very much, like I do. So that brings me to something that I have called the Martin Strange effect. Something that I have called the Martin Strange Effect.

Speaker 1: 2:06

So, as a lot of you know, I lost my wonderful dad on the 31st of January this year. Today is the 27th of February and we still haven't been able to have his funeral. And I find myself in a situation where I'm you know myself, I'm trying to keep my hand in in my business while doing everything else that has all of a sudden fallen on top of me has all of a sudden fallen on top of me. And the thing is, I find myself in a situation where, actually, I have no choice and I have to work with what I have. And, of course, for me, one of the most important things is my business and my clients.

Speaker 1: 2:54

And I came up with the Martin Strange effect because my dad was one of the most influential people in my life. He wasn't just my dad, he was my business mentor. As himself, he was a very, very successful entrepreneur. And why I wanted to talk about this today was I have a story from when I was about 14 or 15. And I remember being in one of his shops and I remember him saying to an employee I've put a phone up on the wall. If it rings, we now sell white goods. And I said what are white goods, dad? You know what? What are they? I was only 14 at the time and he said, oh, it's washing machines, dishwashers, tumble dryers, that kind of thing, and that was it. You know, the phone was on the wall. If it rang, it rang. If it didn't, it didn't.

Speaker 1: 4:09

And he made that business into a very, very, very successful business just by having an idea that they were going to sell white goods and they were going to put a phone on the wall. And, in all honesty, it's something that I've always remembered through my entrepreneurial journey, and I suppose there was nothing in him that he didn't think it was going to work. He didn't overthink it. He had a plan that if the phone rang, he had the website, he would sell the white goods and they would be delivered directly from the manufacturer. So there was a strategy there, but in all honesty, it was a very, very simple strategy and it was also an add on to the business that was already there as well.

Speaker 1: 5:13

It just struck a chord with me that he wasn't in his own way. He was completely out the way of his own way, if that makes sense. There was no imposter syndrome. There was no yeah, but what if it doesn't work? It was just very simply we have the website, we have the manufacturers, all the pricing structures were done just as you would in your businesses, whatever business you were in and then it was like right, let's see what happens. There was no oh, but what if this happens? Or what if that happens? He just did it. He just put the phone there and waited for it to ring and lo and behold, it rang. It actually rang, and this was back in 1999 to 2000.

Speaker 1: 6:13

So online businesses were starting to become very popular, so I definitely think that he hooked into that. There wasn't a huge amount of competition in what he was doing online at the time, so he definitely, definitely grabbed that customer base that was starting to go online and order items. Now, if he had started it at another time, would it have worked? I don't know, I don't. I really honestly don't know. But he saw that there was an opportunity and he grabbed it with both hands, and that is what I call simply the Martin Strange effect. That's, that's what it is. That's the Martin Strange effect. So next time you have that business idea, that hope, that dream, remember the Martin Strange effect, because what is the point in sitting on an idea? Just give it a go, get it out there, and if it doesn't work it doesn't matter. You move on to the next thing or you pursue it until it does work. Have a great day.